" Knowing and feeling are two different things." I think to myself as I see everyone in front of me. " You know Jakearoo, I knew that you had a 80-99% chance on average to convince everyone to join your team but it's still shocking. Well, a promise is a promise. All of our training will be done within 1 second of the outside world but that one second can be stretched infinitely by me. Within that second, I will first teach you all the skills I accumulated during my time as the Stealth Dragon in my previous life along with my instincts and knowledge.
Then I will throw you into simulations or matrices if you wish to call them that. In there, you'll learn and earn your specialised knowledge, skills and equipment. Of course the equipment will be upgraded when you come back. You will die but you will be revived with nothing except your clothes and weapon.
I repeat, each training simulation is specialised to meet specific needs and nurture you into becoming the best and most deadliest version of yourself then go beyond that. Once you agree to start you don't get to quit. Each of you will receive power that makes you undefeatable anywhere you exist and there won't be any breaks.
You'll just learn, you can't go insane, you can't end it and the simulations will mature you beyond your years and you can kiss your childhood goodbye as the mental lens which you all use to view the world will forever be changed. Do you understand me?" I yell. Everyone gulps but they don't flinch. I close my eyes, take a breath and shout, " I JONATHAN KEYES LONG DECLARE THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAINING TRIALS."
The metallic surroundings are changed and they are in a dim corridor. " My specialty is Jeet Kun Do, infiltration and assassination, asymmetrical warfare and espionage, survival specialist and I'm also a weapons and vehicles specialist." My voice comes from every direction while I'm not here. " This is a base designed to teach you how to counter my skills through observation, deduction, intuition and combat.
All of you will receive the standard loadout of an US army infantryman minus food rations and ammunition. They are scattered around the base. You must learn to use every physical and psychological advantage at your disposal then learn to survive without those advantages." I explained and there was silence which everyone understood as the cue to start. " Okay let's check our loadouts." Says Susan. Everyone starts to check their pockets to see what they have.
" Okay, everyone's got an M4 carbine with 2 standard issue magazines meaning 60 bullets excluding the one in the chamber, M17 with 2 standard issue 17 round mags, one combat knife, first aid kits with antiseptics, antibiotics, suturing needles and thread and water purification tablets and a pack of waterproof matches and clothes along with standard ballistic protection and a flashlight." Counts Lao Shi.
" The first thing we need to understand is what Mr. Long would be putting in our path." Says Daisy. " Traps, like the Vietcong. He said that he's an expert on asymmetrical warfare." Answers Brad and shines his flashlight on one of the corridors and points at a barely visible black thread. " Best case it's a tripping trap nothing dangerous, worse case is causing some Indiana Jones level trap." Says Brad as he takes out his knife and cuts the thread resulting in two desks crashing into each other from the sides and shattering into splinters.
They start to explore and learn just how nasty my traps are. From pit traps filled with excrement covered spikes to swing traps and make shift darts covered with bleaching powder paste. " These traps are not made to kill, rather injure and not to mention that we have already wasted 10 bullets on sudden noises." Says Spud. Susan replies, " Jonathan's playing with our mind and he's not letting us relax. God, I feel bad for his enemies."
" Mr. J is horrifying. We can't sleep, we're hungry and we have to think twice before taking a step." Says Trixie and in a moment of carelessness she steps on a piece of tile which makes an ominous click but she doesn't understand just what a large mistake she made and everyone is blasted into a thousand pieces thanks to the mine Trixie stepped on.
They are sent back to the point where they started. First month death by death by malnutrition, infections and hidden mines. Second month, death by insomnia. Third month, food poisoning. Fourth month, conflicts arise causing all to act individually letting me pick them off one by one, teaching them the importance of teamwork. In the fourth month they start to improve as they are able to develop very good gut instincts letting them avoid traps by instincts alone.
Fifth month, capable of distinction between sounds and they were able to shoot me. By the sixth month, each of them were basically anti-guerilla warfare and survival specialists.
" Six months. Six godforsaken months we have spent on this wretched space and we have been forced to take a more pragmatic approach towards our values. We learnt the value of actual teamwork, trust and the true power of friendship. Sounds cringe I know but it's the truth. Old enmities are gone and are replaced with respect and friendship so strong that we can basically cover each other's back without any issues.
But the striking thing is our personal growth and relationships. Jake and Rose love each other even more and everyone has a deeper understanding of each other's weakness and strengths. We work as a well oiled machine. Now, I understand what he meant by changing the lens through which we view the world." Writes Susan on the notepad they found on their search.
Everyone takes turns in writing on the thick notepad. Susan falls asleep but when she wakes up she is surprised seeing her surroundings as there was nothing but white. From this point, started another point of Jonathan's horrifying training. The new training was isolation training where everyone is separated and they learn how to be actually independent. This one however didn't last long as the participants never lost their hope which is another way of surviving this isolated hellscape of white.
They were brought back to the corridor they started and there was Jonathan this time. Everyone was happy to see him but no one except Susan reacted as she hugged me. " Was the isolation training necessary?" Asks Susan and I run my fingers through her hair and whisper, " I will never put you all through things that I never experienced with all my senses." I assure her and it's true.
Then I teach them all CQC techniques and Jeet Kun Do for another month and they absorb everything like a sponge. " I have taught all of you everything I can teach alone now it's time for your specialised training." I declared as everyone was able to defeat me individually and also as a team. Everything suddenly goes dark and each of them wakes up in different spaces with a weapon in hand.